A Cumbrian accountancy company has pledged to support the provision of life-saving equipment across the Furness Peninsula.
JF Hornby & Co has launched its Have a Heart campaign to support the installation of defibrillators in the area for the remainder of 2024.
To kick start the campaign, the company – via its charitable arm, The Hornby Foundation – will donate £5,000 to supply four defibrillators for use in the community.
The firm will hold fundraising events throughout the year to support the purchase of at least one additional device in the hope of saving lives.
Managing director Paul Hornby said: “Our communities are at the heart of everything we do and it’s important to me that when we can make an impact or a positive difference, we do just that.
“Defibrillators can – and do – save lives. There is already a relatively advanced network of them across the Furness Peninsula, but when it comes to precious minutes and seconds, the more we have, the better.
“We will spend some time working with the relevant authorities to identify areas of need and take action based on this.”
Defibrillators are life-saving devices used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition where the heart unexpectedly stops beating.
They work by delivering an electric shock to the heart, helping to restore a normal rhythm. In the UK, the availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces has grown in recent years.
If a defibrillator is used in the first three to five minutes of someone having a cardiac arrest their chances of survival increase from 6% to 74%. Survival rates decrease by 10% with each minute that treatment is delayed.
The British Heart Foundation notes that the use of an AED alongside CPR significantly increases the chances of survival from an SCA.
In 2021, JF Hornby & Co donated a defibrillator to the Ulverston Parkrun to ensure immediate support was on hand, should anyone suffer a cardiac arrest at the event.
“This campaign will make a fundamental difference to the communities we are so proud to serve,” said Paul.
“As a part of it, we will be training our team members in CPR – another vital tool in the battle to save someone’s life who has either suffered a cardiac arrest or stopped breathing for another reason.”
